1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing management apparatus for transmitting a print job to a printing apparatus and recording an execution result of the print job, and to a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the commercial printing industry, there is an active movement toward shorter turnaround times and smaller lot job orders with high added value. The introduction of print-on-demand (hereinafter, POD) devices in addition to offset printing devices and bookbinding and other post-processing devices that have conventionally been used is therefore being actively pursued. One of the effects of POD devices is being able to automatically process a series of processes such as a printing process and post-processing on printed material, based on the job.
Hybrid workflows are constructed in order to effectively introduce POD devices in addition to existing printing devices. In other words, a mixed environment of conventional printing devices and POD devices is constructed. Also, in commercial printing, the connection with a printing system that records job information, such as a Management Information System (hereinafter, MIS) is important for job performance information gathering and cost estimates. A POD device in a hybrid workflow is also similarly connected to the MIS and gathers performance information on the printing process and the like.
Here, when transmitting a job to a POD device, the MIS needs to describe appropriate instructions in a print job ticket and transmit the print job ticket to the POD device, in accordance with a request for obtaining a desired printing result. Here, there exists a technique (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-299380) that involves acquiring device information from a device and generating a print job ticket based on the device information, in a system that transmits jobs to devices.
Even within a POD device, user-specific management of expendables (e.g., printing media such as print sheets of paper) is performed for access management efficiency and user friendliness. In other words, management of expendables information and the like that differs from management information in an MIS and is customized for each printing apparatus is performed.
Currently, expendables management customized for each POD device is not coordinated with job designation and performance information management by an MIS. For example, there may be a plurality of different selection candidates (a plurality of different types of print sheets may be registered) even for the same print sheet type. This is because distinctions may be made using parameters particular to a POD device, or there may be a mechanism for performing user-defined print sheet type registration.
As a result, automatic selection of a print sheet type contrary to the intent on the MIS side may be performed on the job receiving side (POD device). Here, this may result in the effects of automation being impaired, even if selection is performed again by the operator after the job is received, from information managed by the POD device.